


Life Begins Anew

by traumaesistenziale



Series: Life Begins Anew [2]
Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Adoption, Canon Disabled Character, Domestic Fluff, Established Oswald Cobblepot/Edward Nygma, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Missing Scene, Post 5x11, Post-Canon, Sort Of, Wedding Planning, pre-wedding, wedding cake
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-08
Updated: 2019-05-08
Packaged: 2020-02-28 12:17:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18756292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/traumaesistenziale/pseuds/traumaesistenziale
Summary: After the war for Gotham, Oswald and Ed started dating. Ed has a very important question, but little does he know that Oswald has one as well."«Martin, Edward and I... a lot has happened during this time. Edward and I are engaged now. You are coming to live with us, we are both going to be your dads. Is that... is that okay with you?» Oswald asked.Ed swallowed, moving his eyes from Oswald to Martin. Why was Oswald asking the kid? He hadn't realized Martin would have any say in the matter. Then, he calmed down, realizing Oswald was just trying to make sure Martin understood the situation and he felt comfortable.«You guys are getting married?» Martin asked, signing faster than before and rising his eyebrows in surprise.«Yes.» said Oswald, quickly directing a smile at Edward.«You trust him?» Martin asked, glancing nervously at Ed. Ed looked back and forth between the two of them, trying to decipher where the conversation was currently going.Oswald nodded.«You... are in love?» Martin asked. He seemed hesitant to ask this. He even raised an eyebrow.«Oh, yes, very much. We are very much in love.»"Set after 5x11.





	Life Begins Anew

**Author's Note:**

> Let me preface this by saying a few things. I don't understand time and math confuses me. Yes, that should explain it, lmao
> 
> Basically, I don't even know. What is a timeline? I figured Martin had to be about 8 or 9 back in season 4, so right now imagine he is about 11. That sounds right... right? Hope so! Also, this is set, like I said, in the time after 5x11 before these fools got themselves arrested. I think it's stated in canon that it was about six months, but I might remember wrong. Anyway, keep that in mind. Unless you are reading this as a stand-alone story, in which case, feel free to discard canon completely at your heart content, my friend.
> 
> Note: this fic does NOT contain an actual wedding. The story ends way before that (but of course the wedding totally happens). I don't know if I'm ever going to write that, even though this is a series and i have some more works planned for it.

Oswald put down the phone and let out a deep sigh. Not a sigh of frustration, or anger, or any really exceptionally negative emotion, as testified by the very tired half-smile on his face, he was just... he just had a lot through his mind.

When Edward came through the door, doing not much more than poking his head in, Oswald raised his head and looked at him with his good eye.

Ed observed him and noticed his expression and general demeanor and he couldn't help but ask.

«Is everything okay?»

Oswald just kind of shrugged and he smiled at him, trying to present the best version of himself, meaning the calmest and less distressed version, that he could muster.

«Sure. What did you want to tell me?» he asked.

Edward approached the desk that he was sitting at and walked around the table. Oswald watched him curiously. He still was in slight disbelief at how natural this was. “This” being _them_. Yes, they had been around each other for a long time, in all sorts of circumstances and various degrees of contempt for each other, and it wasn't the first time they had been in what could be defined as “a good place” either, but this was different altogether. Different, and yet so familiar, so easy.

Edward reached him and leaned down, leaving him a quick kiss on the lips. Oswald continued smiling at him while Ed straightened his back and fixed his jacket. He got the impression Ed had been trying not to act suspicious recently... He didn't seem nervous, not necessarily, not even stiffer than normal... it was hard to describe. To anyone else he probably would have appeared perfectly normal, but Oswald knew him well enough that he could tell these sorts of things. This got him pondering if Edward could do the same regarding him, and he tried to stop wondering and tried to continue acting as naturally as possible, thing that would have been rendered increasingly impossible if he had continued to think about this, making himself more uncomfortably self-aware than really necessary. He was doing fine. No worries, Ed didn't suspect a thing, he was sure. It wasn't time to tell him yet, at least not until he could be sure himself.

Oswald raised his eyebrows in an expectant way, still waiting for Edward to answer.

«Just wondering if you are still up for it tonight?» he asked.

Oswald kind of scoffed, faking himself more offended than he was at that implication.

«Of course I am, why wouldn't I? I wouldn't miss _date night_.»

 _Date_. That word still sounded strange to hear, to think, even to consider. Reasonably, he knew it made sense, but part of him still refused to believe it was true. Considering how everything had always been so odd about them.

He just had to think about the way they had first become acquainted, not the first time they had met, but the first time they had truly interacted in a meaningful way and become part of each other's lives. At the time, he was bleeding to death in the woods and Ed found him by complete chance while busy burying a body or two. This to say... yes, everything about their relationship had been pretty unusual. So, something as simple as a date, seemed simultaneously the most extravagant scenario to try to imagine, and yet the most obvious and long-overdue consequence of their paths crossing, all those years ago. They were where they were meant to be, finally. Having dates, like any other couple would.

Edward smiled at him and looked immensely satisfied and possibly relieved to hear that.

«Good. I'll see you at eight, then.» he said cheerfully.

«Until then.»

Oswald replied, standing up and reaching to kiss him again. Smile gently pressing against smile. He couldn't help it, he was just _happy_. So what? Sue him. Also, Ed's good mood was contagious. It almost made him forget that he was probably plotting something. Normally, he wouldn't like surprises... especially knowing their history, anyone else would have had some doubts. But maybe that's exactly why he decided to trust him and opted not to even mention it. Whatever it was, he figured, he would find out in due time – he though as he sad down again.

He watched Edward walk away and out of the room. By now, he knew the truth about the two of them, that betrayal could never happen again. He trusted that. That they had sworn they would never stab each other in the back ever again, and whatever attack would be out, in plain sight, and come from the front, no lies, no hiding. He had nothing to fear.

Then, the phone rang again.

 

Edward fidgeted with his tie, standing by the table he had set, studying it in excruciating detail, as if even one spec of dust fallen on a plate or a single thread of the tablecloth out of place could ruin it, and as if he could somehow set it on fire with his mind, judging by the intensity with which he glared at a fork that just happened to be laying slightly oblique on the dark cloth. He reached out and fixed it, making it perfectly straight. He nodded to himself, satisfied, then he glanced at the clock.

Two past eight. Two minutes and thirty-six seconds past eight, to be exact. Thirty-seven. Thirty-eight-- alright, enough of that. He looked away and tried to focus on something else. He was sure there was nothing to be worried about. Oswald was _technically_ late, but Ed had to work pretty hard to convince himself that up to five minutes would still be considered acceptable. After which, he told himself, he would actually go look for him.

Normally, he would have been a little more accommodating. Just a little bit, at least. A very tiny bit. Anyway, not tonight, because tonight was going to be pretty darning important. And thus punctuality was a pretty _darn_ big deal too, if for no other reason, because with each minute Oswald wouldn't walk through that door, Ed continued to progressively lose his mind, trying to keep himself calm and effortlessly natural and at ease. Because he wasn't. He was really, really, _fucking_ nervous, and if Oswald didn't come in right now immediately, he would fucking lose it – he thought this to himself, putting his hand in the pocket of his jacket without even realizing and mindlessly playing with its contents, feeling the velvet on his fingertips... then, suddenly the door slammed open, and almost as if it had started burning against his fingers, Ed withdrew his hand and took it out of his pocket.

Oswald stood at the entrance of the room, looking at him with wide eyes as if he wasn't sure what Edward's reaction to seeing him would be. Maybe he somehow knew how much his being late was driving him insane. Oswald regained his composure and straightened his tie and fixed his jacket, greeting him with a warm smile.

Edward walked around the table, pulling back a chair and gesturing to Oswald to come take a seat. Oswald obliged, stopping only to smack a little kiss on his cheek right before sitting down, while Edward circled the perfectly set table to take a seat as well.

Oswald looked around at the table, as Edward lifted one cloche after the other, revealing the multitude of delicious foods Ed had prepared for the occasion. His eyes went wide at the sight of all of that, the smells were as inviting as ever and everything just looked so refined, like Ed had really put a lot of time and work into this, and he couldn't have been more impressed. He didn't even know where to start. All of that was barely necessary, really, he had definitely overdone it, but like hell he was gonna mention it and ruin Edward's mood by applying any sort of criticism to any of this. Never mind, as far as he was concerned, everything was as perfect as can be, and Ed had done an amazing job. That's it.

Edward shot him a look.

«Well? Aren't you hungry?» he asked, since all he had done so far had been staring. He could tell his tone and smile were hesitant. He knew Ed wasn't one to doubt himself, and he always took pride in his work, which made Oswald realize how much he must have cared about Oswald's opinion about this.

He immediately grabbed knife and fork and quickly cut up a piece of meat, putting it in his mouth and humming appreciatively. To his comfort, and not to his surprise at all, Ed looked immediately relieved and a large smiled appeared on his face.

This was nice. They had both been pretty busy ever since Gotham had been freed, each with their own personal business, as well as conjoined business.

Despite everything, the both of them and the GCPD had agreed in tacit terms to keep a truce for a while. Both criminals knew that despite their heroic efforts, neither of them would ever be hailed as heroes. All the praise had gone to Jim Gordon, who had been made commissioner. They held the obvious grudge against him, and nothing was gonna stop them from plotting his eventual demise, and their own ascension as rightful kings of Gotham, but all of that would have to wait. At least until Gotham was back to being fully in working order, fully reconnected with the mainland, and open again for the taking. There was no point in trying to take over a city that could barely stand. The fight for it had been pretty rough for everyone and it had been really tough on Gotham itself too, as well as the people. It would take some time before everything would go back to normal... well, “normal” for the local standards, at least.

Oswald meant it when he said that he loved this city, and he took no pleasure in seeing it in ruins. He was glad to see it being rebuild, and he would help in the efforts however he could, or at least, as much as the police and Jim permitted it. He was still a criminal, after all, and so was Edward. Apparently. Apparently, not everybody deserved a second chance... not that he wanted it anyway. He wouldn't have known what to do with a chance to be “redeemed” anyway. He knew what he wanted, and that was Gotham in the palm of his hand, and he would get it there one way or another. He knew he couldn't do that by any legal means – his days as mayor were long gone and far away.

As for Edward, he and Oswald were on the same page. Edward knew how much this city mattered to Oswald, and he would never do anything to disrupt his plans, instead he would facilitate them however he could.

Edward had never been particularly interested in “ruling” or “running” Gotham, not really, not per se, but if that's what Oswald wanted to do, he would stand by his side. He had his own plans, to make his name known again, to have name _Riddler_ strike awe and fear into the hearts of the citizens of Gotham once again. To have people marvel at his genius, scramble to solve his puzzles, and wonder what his next move would be. He knew that Oswald would support him as well, so the collaboration was entirely mutually beneficial.

They were both proud of each other, and would have helped each other through anything, that was the truth.

Oswald felt something pressing against his leg, so he looked down. Edward the dog was standing there, steadily pawing at his ankle, urging him to feed him as soon as possible some of the tasty smelling deliciousness that had enraptured his little dog senses, rendering him relentless until someone would allow him to taste it.

Ed noticed the interaction and watched Oswald sigh and make a reprimanding yet too fond face at the bulldog who remained unfazed and decided to throw in a tiny pitiful whine, just because. He knew Oswald well enough to work his way into his heart, of course, because this worked, and Oswald cut out a piece of his stake and passed it down to the dog, who happily took it from his hand and continued licking it afterwards, both in affection and in the attempt to get every single molecule of food off it.

Ed winced. Oswald noticed. Ed didn't look upset, or not really in any meaningful way.

«What?» Oswald asked.

«Are you seriously gonna feed the dinner I worked so hard on... to the dog?»

Edward tried his best to sound offended. He certainly was annoyed, but not that much to actually get angry about this, as testified by his badly concealed smile.

Oswald gave him a snarky look.

«Is he not allowed to enjoy such an exquisite meal with us? I'm just trying to share this impressive gift you've made me.»

He sounded all too smug about his choice of words to sound genuine, but he wasn't wrong, or lying. The food really was something special and he was grateful.

«If you think compliments are gonna move me, you are wrong. I didn't make it for the dog to eat.»

Ed played along. There was some truth in this argument they were having, but neither of them was taking it seriously enough at the moment to make it a real fight.

«You should stop calling him “the dog”. He has a name, you know.»

Oswald said while he tried to sneak another piece of meat under the table – well, it's probably not called “sneaking” if you are doing it in someone's face, but he tried, so it's the thought that counts, really. Except that he maintained eye contact with Ed all along, so really. Hard to tell if he was even trying.

«Right. I apologize, _Edward_ , I have been so rude.» Ed paused. «No, see, it's not working. It just sounds like I'm talking to myself in the third person.»

Edward leaned forward. Oswald listened while looking down at his dog, petting him on the head while he ate.

«Like you've never done that before.» he casually commented.

Edward gasped and leaned back. Oswald's face snapped towards him and he raised his eyebrows. For a moment he thought Ed had gotten offended, but his mouth quickly changed from an “o” shape to something more similar to a restrained smile.

Ed crossed his arms to his chest and stared back at Oswald indignantly.

«You... named your dog after me so you'd have an excuse to say my call my name.»

Ed looked awfully smug about this retort. If they were gonna play this game, Oswald would find out two of them could play it.

Oswald simply stared back.

After a moment, he sighed and just kind of shrugged.

«Yeah, actually. That's not too far off.»

The earnestness of that admission struck Edward. Oswald smiled, kind of timidly, but Ed's grin disappeared almost entirely. He leaned forward again, reaching for Oswald's hand on the table. Oswald didn't pull back, which was a relief. It meant he hadn't upset him, he would have hated to have spoiled the mood. Instead, Ed felt a rush of affection bubbling up under the surface and he had to actively fight the instinct to jump over the table and go hug him. Just holding his hand for now would suffice.

«Thankfully, I won't be having such problems anymore in the foreseeable future.»

Oswald's smile widened a little as he spoke, and Edward couldn't help but reciprocate.

«I'm sorry.» Ed sounded contrite.

«It's alright. I'm sure Edward forgives you for being so rude to him all the time. He can't talk, but he has a big heart.»

Oswald looked at him with a straight face, before breaking into a smile again, and Ed couldn't help but to let out a laugh, lightly shaking his head. Oswald followed. Edward the dog felt left out, and he huffed out some breathy bark of sorts.

«Quiet, Edward. You have already eaten your dinner earlier and now I've feed you some steak too. Do you want to get sick? Huh? You little rascal, it's never enough for you, is it?»

«Wait... he already had dinner before you fed him my steak? Oswald, I'm saying this for you, because I know how much you love the do- _Edward_ , if he gets any fatter we are gonna have to rob a bank to pay his vet bill.»

Edward remarked. Oswald seemed to think about it for a moment.

«I would rob a bank for him.» he announced proudly.

Ed sighed.

«You are missing the point.»

Oswald chuckled quietly.

«I assure you I'm not. I appreciate you worrying about him.»

Edward's eyes opened wide, he looked almost offended by that insinuation.

«That's only because I worry about you. Me and...» he let out a sigh, « _Edward'_ s relationship is purely of necessity.»

Ed tried to sound convincing, but he could tell Oswald wasn't being fooled.

«Oh? And what necessity would that be?» he asked, showing far too much curiosity for it to be real. Of course he already knew what Edward meant.

«He makes you happy. I keep him happy, so he can continue keeping you happy.»

Oswald scoffed at that answer.

«Don't think I haven't caught you scratching his belly at least once...»

Oswald said, leaning forward and lowering his voice, as if sharing a secret. Ed begun to react as if he'd been outraged by that unfounded accusation, but as he continued he started to sound almost frustrated instead, recollecting the exact incident Oswald was referring to.

«He had been trying to scratch it on his own but his little stupid stumpy legs are too short and he couldn't reach the spot! So I landed a hand. Like I said, _necessity_.»

Edward tried so, so damned hard to make himself sound sensible, but he failed miserably. Oswald had got him there, Ed had to admit it to himself.

«Huh. Interesting.»

Oswald sounded smugger than Ed would have wished, so he resorted to trying to change the topic altogether.

«Let's stop talking about the dog, I beg of you.»

«Fine. Actually... that's some segue as good as any I suppose, because there's actually a rather important matter I wanted to discuss with you.»

Oswald sounded very serious all of sudden. Ed was surprised by that. He though he was going to be the one to have “a rather important matter to discuss”, he had not been prepared for Oswald to have something similar of his own. His brain started racing while he scrambled to try to figure out what that something so important could be. He found himself wishing Oswald hadn't said anything of the sort, because whatever it was he was sure it was going to steal the spotlight, or derail the conversation, more so than the dog had already done.

Then, he considered the possibility, with a thrill and an equal amount of some odd brand of dread, that what Oswald had to say could happen to be the same thing he meant to say, or rather, to _ask_.

Whichever the option, he sounded absolutely disconcerted.

«Wait... really? Wha-what's that?» he tried to keep his cool.

Oswald cleared his throat, as if preparing to say something extremely important, and Edward, ridiculously enough, considered his circumstances, found himself panicking, and he instinctively put his hands forward before Oswald could continue, prompting him to stop and just stare at him, waiting for an explanation for his strange behavior.

An explanation was indeed definitely required, sure, but how was he supposed to explain that he was preemptively panicking, without any proof that the thing that got him panicking was even happening, at the idea that Oswald could do something that he was about to do himself anyway. Was it a matter of who got to do it first? Was he having second thoughts? No, that definitely wasn't it. Was he afraid that the thing Oswald was going to say was going to be something entirely different and unrelated, instead, and that such thing could put a wrench in his plan? Yes, that was more likely. Suddenly, the little box in his pocked begun to feel heavier than ever. He had to pull it out as soon as possible, he started to feel like he would lose his mind if he didn't soon enough.

«Ed, are you okay?»

«I-... yeah. Yeah, sure. I was just- before you begin- what-... what is it? About? The- what are you- can't this wait? Because I wanted- I... I was going to, if-... couldn't you just... ugh.»

Mmh, yeah, no. That wasn't anything resembling an explanation. Or resembling english, for the matter.

«Ed...» Oswald paused, blinked slowly and then frowned «...are you having a stroke?»

He was clearly joking. Obviously. Well, he sounded serious, but more in a “You are _seriously_ making no sense at all, do you think you could get your shit together?” way, than a “I actually believe you might be in need of a medical attention right now” way.

Ed realized this. He knew this. Of course he already knew Oswald was going to say something like that too, in that exact tone, for the matter. He knew him well enough for that. But none of this helped with the fact that he might as well have been – having a stroke, that is – because his brain, Ed wasn't sure what his brain was doing, but whatever it was, it wasn't helping. Someone as sharp-minded as him... rendered completely useless in such a pathetic way. Shameful. But he supposed it couldn't be helped, really. Emotions weren't rational, despite being born in the brain like anything else, but they didn't belong there. They were wild, unpredictable things, that sometimes could get the better of someone and make them sound like a complete tool, like an obtuse babbling idiot.

He figured if he was going to have to say something to explain himself, he might as well save himself the trouble and skip a few steps, jumping ahead to the important part, since by then everything should be clear enough and explanations shouldn't be needed anymore. Besides, that little box was beginning to weight him down, compelling him to take it out of his pocket and finally use it for what it was meant to be used.

Edward abruptly stood up, almost startling Oswald, and definitely having that effect on poor little Edward, who had begun to doze off right by Oswald's feet under the table, but he raised his head and whined in response to the disturbance, only to very slowly stand up and decide to go sleep somewhere else. Somewhere quieter, since he knew he wasn't going to be fed anymore steak anyway, and since _some people_ couldn't seem to show some _manners_.

Oswald's eyebrows shot up and he stared at Ed in silence from his seat, while the sound of his dog's clumsy steps became more faint.

Ed realized his mistake. Damned brain, failing him once again. This was awkward. He couldn't just-... not like this. He cleared his throat.

«Before you begin, I too have something I wanted to say. If you don't mind, I'd rather go first.»

Now he was starting to make sense again. Alright, back on track.

Oswald stared at him just a bit longer, before slowly nodding, still looking at him like he wasn't even trying to decipher him, more like he was just surprised, curious, and possibly a little freaked out. Understandable, after all, he hadn't been making the best impression of a well-adjusted person just now.

Oswald couldn't even begin to imagine what Edward could have to say that could be so important to warrant such erratic behavior. He had joked when he had asked Ed if he was having a stroke, but he begun to suspect something might indeed be wrong. Or maybe Oswald was simply missing some piece to understand the full picture.

He would have wanted to go first, because he had been working up the courage to talk about this all day, but now he was just genuinely curious. He could still bring up the subject later. Right now, his main concern was the way Edward was sweating and staring at him like a lost deer. So... medical condition it was, he guessed. Or maybe... what could be making him so nervous to talk about? What could he be possibly about to say, to justify such-... _oh_.

He felt like a complete fool for not realizing sooner. Of course. He couldn't believe this was happening, but that had to be what this was. Or they were both losing their minds... right? Right? Was Edward seriously _about to-_

«Oswald... we have known each other for years now. We have been through... everything that two people can possibly go through together, we have tried to kill each other, multiple times, and yet... somehow, we ended up here. Remember? You said this too. Fate must have something in store for us. I believe that.»

Oswald's breath died in his throat.

Edward felt his own voice get shakier as he went on, but not less secure. He knew what he was saying. He believe in it. So he pressed on. Then, he put his hand in his pocket and walked around the table.

«In fact... I am ready to pledge my faith to it. If fate wants us to be together, then... I think we might as well...»

Oswald saw him get on one knee, and his eyes went wide and he wasn't able to tell if he was breathing anymore for several seconds. Seeing Ed kneel before him, seeing him extract that little dark box from his pocket, all of this was making him feel dizzy. This isn't how he had expected this night to go, not that he was complaining, but this is when it hit him.

Of course, it made so much sense. The urgency, the general air of secrecy, the fidgeting... it was all leading up to this. What he had sensed being off about Edward recently, it had all been about this one single moment.

About Edward on one knee before him, looking like he was barely keeping it together, opening that little box and presenting it to him with its content.

Oswald gasped audibly when he saw the ring. His eyes sparkled from the reflection of the lights on the tears starting to gather in their corners.

That reaction from Oswald actually gave Ed a boost in confidence, and the strength to actually finish what he was going to say.

«...make it official.»

Oswald looked like he was ready to jump out of his seat. The smile that grew on his face was worth everything, it was worth more than anything Edward could ever be able to think of, not even all of their now lost treasure could measure up.

Ed took the ring out of the box. Oswald brought one hand to cover his mouth, unable to hold back the tears, or the laughter, as they both found out.

«Oswald... will you marry me?»

By the time he finished asking the question, Oswald was actually laughing. A nervous reaction to the highly emotional situation, for sure, or for whatever the reason, and Ed found himself imitating him.

Especially because Oswald barely left him the time to finish, before he blurted out his answer.

«Yes! Yes, of course Ed, of course I will marry you!»

Oswald actually finally jumped out of his chair like he had been looking like he wanted to for a while. Ed stood up, and Oswald literally threw himself into his arms. Ed was so surprised that he almost dropped the box and the ring he was still holding in his hands.

Oswald cupped his face and kissed him, pressing their lips together like their lives depended on it.

When he pulled back, Edward managed to take a hold of his hand.

«Oh. Of course!» Oswald exclaimed, as if he had forgotten about this significant step in the euphoria of it all.

Edward finally put the ring on his finger, and immediately after, Oswald hugged him again. Edward let himself melt into a fit of giggles.

He had been feeling like he could have died at any moment all this time, and now he became keenly aware of how much his legs felt like they were made of jelly, but they still held up just fine.

Oswald took a step back and took a moment to observe the ring on his finger. It was pretty simple, the ring itself wasn't that big of a deal, but what it signified meant everything to him. He took the time to get used to seeing the ring there, studying the way his hand looked now. The same, and yet so different. That little detail changed everything. He was engaged. He was going to be a married man, soon.

His thought flew to his mother, now, in a moment like this. Oh, if she could have seen him now. She had always told him that love would come to him, that he was handsome and smart, and one day he would find someone who would appreciate him and love him completely. He wished she could have been there so he could have shown her the man he had just agreed to marry.

To proudly tell her, “Look, this man is my soul mate. And we are going to spend the rest of our lives together. Don't worry about me anymore, I am in good hands now.”

After the giggling, and smiling, and teary eyes, and what-have-you, had all died down a little, Edward came back down to Earth, and he realized Oswald hadn't yet told him the thing he wanted to tell him.

«So, what were you about to say before?»

Oswald, who was still very much in his personal space, hands lingering on Ed's arms, suddenly withdrew.

Ed felt the warmth physically slip away as Oswald took a step back, and he felt just a little bit emptier, simply because Oswald wasn't so close to him anymore.

He took on a concerned expression, his brow furrowed ever so slightly, while he waited for Oswald to start talking. He could tell he wanted to, but he looked almost... afraid?

«Oswald...? Whatever it is, you can tell me.» he tried to encourage him. Oswald responded by smiling weakly.

«I know. But this... Before, we weren't...» he paused, gesticulating between the two of them and at the ring on his finger.

«I still want to say this. And I... I really, sincerely, hope this won't change things. I'll understand if it's too much-»

«Nothing is too much. What is this about?» Ed interrupted him.

«I was going to propose to take Martin back.»

... _Oh_. Edward wasn't sure what he was expecting, but it sure wasn't that. He didn't know how to respond and for a long time he just stared at Oswald with a blank expression.

Oswald sighed and he went back to his chair, dropping in it.

«Look... I've been thinking about it for a long time. I miss that boy, he is really special, and we had a connection, and...» he trailed off.

Edward continued staring at him.

«...Ed?»

He seemed to finally came back to his senses, and he copied Oswald, walking back to his chair and sitting down. This was definitely one of those situations where you feel the need to sit down. It might have been nice if Oswald had prefaced it by saying, “Hey, you might want to sit down for this”.

Oswald took his silence as a sign that Edward was already changing his mind on the proposal... or maybe a sign that he would try to convince him to give up on this purpose, which would have hurt quite a lot, because Oswald had more of less made up his mind about what he wanted. He had wanted to do this for so long, but the timing was never right, and now... he would have wished for nothing more, more than anything else in the world, to do this with Ed by his side.

In reality, most of that silence was simply shock.

«You want to adopt that kid?» Ed asked.

Oswald was glad at least now Ed was speaking again. He nodded.

«I have been arranging everything, keeping tabs on him. I was going to ask you tonight, and if you were to agree, we could go pick him up soon.»

Edward again didn't speak, just listened.

He remembered that kid. He had to admit, he had never been the biggest fan of kids... but then, neither had Oswald, and yet. Although, he could understand why this boy was an exception, even despite the brevity of the time he had had to interact with that boy, two things above all else had become clear to him.

One, how much Martin meant to Oswald, considering the lengths he had gone to protect him. And secondly, how much, in some way, Martin reminded him of Oswald. Or, rather, what he imagined Oswald must have been as a child. He knew he had been alone with only his mother for most of his life, never had any friends, always kind of a loner, bullied, ostracized... on that level, he could relate too.

Also, Martin was a quiet kid – well, he was mute. So there – but no, what he meant was that he simply didn't make any fuss. He just sat, or stood, in his corner, and watched the world around him. He had very curious eyes, he had noticed this.

After a while, he realized he hadn't been talking, and neither had Oswald. They had both just been sitting there in silence. A silence which had been turning increasingly heavy as time went on.

Oswald was sure now that Edward would never accept this. He stopped watching him. It hurt too much to see his contrite face while he grappled with this dilemma.

He felt bad, almost. Dumping a bomb like this on him. It was a huge responsibility. Fatherhood wasn't just something you thrusted upon people, although he guessed... yeah, most of the time that's how that happened, actually.

«I never explored the idea of becoming a... _father_. It never occurred to me. Even when I was just an employee at the GCPD, even when I thought I would be with Kristen for the rest of my life... I never really...»

Edward trailed off.

Oswald nodded.

«Ed, I understand, I-»

«So, when exactly are we picking him up?»

Oswald blinked a few times.

«Wait... you mean...?»

Edward sighed.

«Dammit... Oswald- I just proposed. You said yes. No takes-backsies.»

Oswald's eyes went wide, while a large smile took over his lips and then expanded to the rest of his face, and then took over his entire body, if possible. Can one smile with their entire body? Oswald was. That's what it looked like to Edward, anyway. He shook his head, resisting the urge to roll his eyes.

«We are going to be dads.» Oswald said.

«How long have you wanted to be a dad?» Ed asked. At this point he was just curious. He had never seen Oswald as the fatherly type. He knew, as a matter of fact, that he despised children. Well, most children, apparently, not _all_ of them.

«I never wanted to. I never liked children. Frankly, I have no idea what I'm supposed to do. It's kind of scary.»

Oswald chuckled. Edward's eyebrows shot up.

«What? You are scared?»

«I'm terrified!»

Ed couldn't believe this. He leaned forward, studying Oswald, trying to see what could be possibly going on in that head of his.

«Then why are you doing this?»

«Because I love Martin!»

Ed leaned back. Oswald took a deep breath.

«You really do?» Ed asked.

«Of course I do. And that boy has no one, except me. And I already abandoned him before. I want him back. I want to be there for him.»

Edward understood. He smiled. Oswald hesitated, but when he realized Ed's smile was genuine, he smiled back.

«We are going to be dads...» Oswald repeated under his breath, apparently to himself.

«We are going to get married.» Edward added, just in case he had forgotten.

Oswald gasped.

«My God... Ed, we are getting married.» he sounded like he couldn't believe it.

Well, it sure was a lot for one night. It would take some time to process. Maybe after sleeping on it, everything would seem more normal in the morning.

 

It was just less that a week after that night, that they found themselves in a room, waiting for someone to come in. Oswald wouldn't stop pacing. Edward was sitting in a chair, watching him. He was making him nervous, but he knew his soon-to-be-husband couldn't help himself. He could barely imagine how nervous Oswald must have been himself. Actually, no, he didn't really have to imagine it. He had felt him toss around in bed all night, he doubted he had even slept at all, and he looked... well, he was going to say awful, but Oswald could never look anything other than beautiful in his eyes.

Still, Oswald had put on a new coat, he had done his hair up as usual, he had even put on some make up to make himself more presentable and hide the dark circles under his eyes.

«Oswald, calm down.»

Oswald didn't have the time to respond, because the door opened, and in walked a woman, and right behind her, there he was. Martin.

Good Lord, he looked so much older already. What had it been? Two? Three years? He was definitely taller, but he still looked so small, so defenseless. His face had changed just a little bit, he looked a bit tougher, but he still had that peculiar look in his dark eyes, like he was always on the look out, always ready to study the world, to predict any sort of danger that said world could present.

Oswald gasped out loud, barely holding back all the emotion he felt. His eyes swelled up with tears and he smiled.

Martin just looked at him, not showing any sort of response at first.

Oswald's heart sunk, fearing the boy wouldn't accept him, that he would resent him for sending him away. Maybe he had been wrong, maybe it was too late to make amends this time. Perhaps the boy hated him.

He noticed Martin still had his notepad hanging from his neck. He had been assured that Martin had been finally taught sign language, and in preparation for this he had tried his best to learn as much of it too in the short stretch of time since the idea of adoption had become clear in his mind's eye. Not that it was really necessary for him to be able to use it fluently, he just needed to understand it well enough – the boy was mute, not deaf – but he didn't want him to feel alone in this.

Martin seemed to scan the room and his eyes focused briefly on Ed. Surely he recognized the man who had saved him once from Sofia's goons. He didn't really react, and he looked back at Oswald.

Oswald took a deep breath and found the courage to speak.

«Martin... I'm here.»

Martin stared back. It was becoming increasingly clear to Oswald that the kid was purposefully trying not to show any specific emotion. He was betrayed by a twitch of his eyebrow.

Oswald walked closer and stopped just a couple feet away. The woman who had accompanied Martin stood aside.

«I'm so sorry I left you, but this time I won't make the same mistake. I was trying to protect you, please try to understand that.»

Edward watched this one-sided interaction, his heart aching for Oswald. He knew first hand that betrayal wasn't easy to forgive, but then again, he knew just as well that forgiveness wasn't impossible.

«I promise.»

He said that, and along with his voice he also used his hands to sign that.

He could see Martin's eyes widen in recognition.

Finally, seemingly out of nowhere, Martin ran to him, closing the short distance between them, and wrapped his arms around him. Oswald was so surprised by that sudden action that it took him a moment longer to react. He gasped and smiled, and finally hugged him back.

Edward's heart jumped in his chest at the sight of that scene. He hadn't realized how tense he had been up until that moment, not until he felt that his shoulders had finally relaxed. If Martin had rejected Oswald, he knew it would have been a hard blow and he feared he would have to try to console him, and he wouldn't know how.

Luckily, it looked like that wouldn't be necessary, after all, he had been worrying so much for nothing.

After longer than a minute, Martin and Oswald pulled away. From their position, since Oswald had his back to him, Ed couldn't see his face anymore, but now that Oswald moved aside and turned towards him, he could clearly see how happy he looked. Just about as happy as he had looked just a few nights earlier, when he had seen Ed kneel down and pull out a small velvet box.

«You remember Edward, right?»

«The man in green who rescued me.» Martin signed. Oswald nodded.

Edward awkwardly stood up. Now that he was called into it, he wasn't sure what he was supposed to do. He shuffled ahead and put one hand forward, expecting a handshake. Martin just stared. Was this too awkward? Would a hug have been better? Or maybe neither.

Then Martin reached for his hand and shook it, giving him a polite smile. Better than nothing, Edward reasoned.

«Good to see you, Martin.» he probably sounded a bit uncertain, but he meant it.

«You too. Thank you, by the way.» Martin signed.

Edward stared at him. He hadn't had enough time to prepare for this like Oswald had, and quite frankly he had been far too busy preparing himself mentally for this, than anything else, so he simply had no idea what the boy had just said. Oswald caught up, and rescued him.

«He says he feels the same, and thanks you. For saving him, I assume.» Oswald said, quickly glancing at Martin, who nodded in response.

«Oh. Of course. Any time.» Edward smiled back.

«Martin, Edward and I... a lot has happened during this time. Edward and I are engaged now. You are coming to live with us, we are both going to be your dads. Is that... is that okay with you?» Oswald asked.

Ed swallowed, moving his eyes from Oswald to Martin. Why was Oswald asking the kid? He hadn't realized Martin would have any say in the matter. Then, he calmed down, realizing Oswald was just trying to make sure Martin understood the situation and he felt comfortable.

«You guys are getting married?» Martin asked, signing faster than before and rising his eyebrows in surprise.

«Yes.» said Oswald, quickly directing a smile at Edward.

«You trust him?» Martin asked, glancing nervously at Ed. Ed looked back and forth between the two of them, trying to decipher where the conversation was currently going.

Oswald nodded.

«You... are in love?» Martin asked. He seemed hesitant to ask this. He even raised an eyebrow.

«Oh, yes, very much. We are very much in love.»

Edward opened his mouth, hearing those words, looking at Oswald, but he said nothing and closed it.

Martin looked at Edward as if looking for confirmation, with a very slight frown. He got the impression that the boy appeared to be protective of Oswald, as if he had now been evaluating Ed under a different light, and deciding his fate. Edward smiled encouragingly, but since he was getting no response from the kid, and his glare seemed to be turning more intense, his smile started to falter.

Oswald noticed and took Ed's hand in his, tugging a little to get his attention. Ed turned to look at him and Oswald leaned up and gave him a quick kiss on the lips.

In response, Martin grimaced, sticking out his tongue.

«Gross!» he signed vehemently.

Oswald bursted out laughing. Edward looked at both of them in confusion. From Martin's general demeanor, and knowing the age he was, it didn't take long to figure out what he must have said, but still.

«Better to start getting used to it, Martin. I a going to be kissing my husband whether you like it or not.»

 _Husband_.

They weren't even married yet.

That word coming from Oswald's mouth made Edward's heart skip a beat.

Martin must have gotten fed up with watching them being all lovey dovey, because he rolled his eyes.

The woman who had taken Martin into the room came back to ask if everything was alright. Ed helped carry Martin's baggage and shortly after they were on their way out.

Ed had a lot going through his mind at the moment. He was still thinking about Oswald referring to him as his husband.

And then he thought about how useless he felt every time Martin would sign something and Oswald would respond accordingly, but he would have no idea what he had just said.

He started making a mental list. Learning sign language was the top priority. Secondly... well, they had a wedding to plan, didn't they? And Edward was known for his dramatic nature, or his _love for showmanship_ , as he preferred to refer to it – so he would make sure that it would be the wedding of the century, like Gotham had never seen before. Forget Jim and Lee's impromptu wedding at the CGPD, he was going to outdo them in every way. First and foremost, by being the couple who had waited the longest to finally get there – that much was clear even to the walls by now. Nobody had been surprised when Ed and Oswald had gotten together.

Secondly... he would make everyone wish they were him. He already felt like the luckiest man on Earth for getting to marry Oswald, but there was no reason not to rub it in everyone's face, was there?

 

Oswald called him over, and he approached the room, still hesitating to come in.

«What do you think?»

Edward fixed his glasses on his nose, glancing down.

«Am I even allowed to see the groom in his wedding attire before the ceremony? Isn't that considered... bad luck, or something?»

Edward asked.

«Don't be silly, please. Besides, that's for the bride. And there's no bride here.»

Edward raised an eyebrow.

«So... lesbian couples get double the back luck if they accidentally bump into each other, but we get out scot-free?» he asked humorously. He heard Oswald huff – he loved how frustrated he got when he was being a smart-ass. That's why he did it.

«Just come in, already.»

Oswald commanded and Ed obliged. He stopped in his tracks when he saw Oswald in his all-white white-tie outfit. He looked... he was... Ed had no words for it.

«Wow.»

It was all that came out of his mouth, while the taylor who had been busy taking ulterior measurements moved aside, leaving them a bit of privacy.

Edward walked behind Oswald, stopping right behind his shoulder and they looked at each other through the reflection in the mirror.

«You like it? I wasn't sure if-»

Edward interrupted him.

«You are perfect. _It_. It's perfect.»

He tried to correct himself, but he couldn't take back his slip. Oswald looked pleased about it though, so Ed didn't mind it too much.

Oswald turned around. He gently stroked his cheek, and delicately pulled him down to kiss him. They connected their lips, then Oswald's hand slipped behind the back of Ed's head. Ed placed his hands on his hips, then moved them to wrap his arms around his back, and pulled him closer, deepening the kiss. Then-

«Ow!» Ed pulled back. Their hands still on each other's bodies, but they separated enough to be able to look at each other.

«Oops. Needle!» Oswald commented, pointing at a needle barely poking out of the collar of his jacket, with a piece of white thread still hanging from it. Ed glared at it once he spotted it, but he resisted the urge to remove it, not wanting to accidentally mess up the suit, since it clearly wasn't done yet.

He kept a serious face for just a moment longer, before resuming smiling lovingly at Oswald.

A man knocked on the door, and both of them turned towards him. He was there to alert them that the cake samples had arrived.

«You go, I'll catch up as soon as we are done here.» Oswald reassured him.

Edward agreed and walked to the dining-room, where a series of samples had already been placed on display across the table.

He also noticed Martin lurking around, pretending not to be too interested.

Ed smiled knowingly, and approached the table.

«This is too many samples, it's gonna take forever if I try to taste them all alone... unless...»

He slowly turned towards his son.

Martin looked excited at the prospect of eating cake, but he also shot him an annoyed look.

«I'm not five, you know.» he signed.

Edward giggled.

«I know.»

He handed him a plate and a fork.

Martin took it and didn't hesitate to take in the first mouthful.

«What do we think?»

Martin nodded excitedly.

«Alright. Slow down, bud. We can only pick one, and this is supposed to be a taste-test. If you eat that much of each piece, by the time we are done you'll have eaten an entire cake.»

«So?» Martin shrugged.

«It will ruin your appetite for dinner. And that's way too much sugar, anyway.»

Martin shrugged again and begun to pick up another piece of the same slice, but Ed reached out and took the plate and fork out of his hands before he could get to eat it.

Martin looked disappointed for a second, but Ed promptly replaced the old plate with a new sample. The kid gladly took a bite.

This time his face just kind of froze and he stopped chewing.

Ed swallowed the mouthful he was still eating, before speaking.

«That bad?»

He asked, and reached over with his fork to try a piece.

«Mh, rose. Don't like it?»

Martin placed his plate on the table, then ran to the trashcan to spit out the offending dessert. As soon as he was done, he spun on his feet and he signed emphatically.

«Rose? Flowers aren't made to be eaten!»

Ed couldn't help but recognize that familiar flair of drama in the way he had presented his point. Way too familiar, in fact. It was hard to tell which of his dads he had taken that from. Ed blamed Oswald, of course.

«It's a refined taste for a refined palate... more suited for an adult palate, perhaps. You don't get it.»

His explanation didn't satisfy his son, who simply raised an eyebrow at that remark. Instead, he then focused his eyes on a chocolate one covered in white frosting.

«...Point taken.»

Edward conceded, reaching for the chocolate cake and sliding the plate closer so they both could easily reach it.

As soon as the sample touched his tongue, Martin's eyes lit up. Ed was still chewing, when Martin tried to go in for a second taste.

«Leave some for your father!» he reprimanded him, quickly sliding the plate away from him before he could reach it. Martin frowned.

Oswald walked in, now wearing one of his regular darker suits. Both turned to look at him.

«Where are we at?»

Edward watched him approach the table and picked up a forkful out of the next cake. It smelled faintly like vanilla and the filling of raspberries.

«Martin is a big fan of the chocolate one. Not as much of rose water.»

Ed carried the fork up to Oswald's mouth, holding his other hand under it in case it fell off. Oswald reached out and ate the sample, then he hummed.

«Not bad!»

He commented, smiling at Ed. Then he looked behind his shoulder and noticed Martin reaching for the chocolate cake again.

Ed followed Oswald's gaze and realizing what was happening, he turned around pointing his finger at the boy, catching him right before closing his mouth around another big bite.

«Hey!»

Martin immediately closed his mouth and chewed very fast, before quickly swallowing. Ed's shoulders dropped and he shook his head.

«At least enjoy it properly.»

Ed sighed. He sounded so resigned that it made both his fiancé and his son laugh. Martin gave him a chocolate-coated smile.

«Gross.» Ed remarked.

They all stopped and turned around when they heard a whine.

«I was wondering about you. I was surprised you hand't show up sooner. You smelled food, didn't you?»

Oswald smiled fondly, watching Edward interact with their dog. He remembered how hostile he still sounded just a few weeks earlier, but since then he had dropped every pretense, and he now treated Edward the dog as a respected member or their family.

«No cake for him. I don't think cake is good for the dog.»

Edward turned to Oswald when he said that, giving him an amused look.

«You shouldn't call him “the dog”, you know, he has a name.»

He said, clearly parroting what Oswald had told him once. Oswald recognized the familiar words and chuckled, rolling his eyes.

«Right, sorry _Edward_.» he apologized to the bulldog, «But still, no cake for you.»

Oswald walked over, bending to scratch the dog's neck.

«You are such a good boy! But even good boys get sick if they eat too much cake. I'm just afraid any amount of cake would be too much for you. But you get it, don't you? 'Cause you are a good boy! Yes you are! Who's a good boy?» Oswald continued cooing nonsense at the dog, who didn't seem all too convinced by that argument, but still passively sat there, letting himself be pet.

At those words, Edward turned to Martin, pointing at Oswald and their dog with the fork still in his hands.

«Did you hear that? Even good boys get sick if they eat too much cake.»

Martin shrugged.

«Why did you call him that, by the way? It's very confusing.» he commented.

Oswald turned around just in time to catch the last part of that, and sort of pieced together the rest.

«Believe me, I know. I had no say in the matter.»

Edward jokingly glared at Oswald while he explained this, while Oswald stood up and walked back closer to them.

He could tell Oswald was about to say something about it, probably something defensive too.

«Let's not. Please. We can't start this argument again. Let's just agree that this topic is off-limits in this house, and let's just accept that there are _two_ Edwards in this family.»

Oswald closed his mouth and he couldn't hold back an amused smile. Edward couldn't help but smile back, even if he was trying to appear extremely serious about this.

Oswald walked closer until he could put his arm around Ed's shoulders, and used that to prop himself up and reach Ed's lips. Edward immediately very delicately framed Oswald's jaw with his fingertips.

Martin tapped his fork against the table to get their attention, and once he had that, he signed.

«Gross!»

Both Ed and Oswald could tell their son was just teasing them. They did this from time to time, share a simple chaste kiss in front of him, and he unfailingly had this reaction, every single time. But they knew he had already gotten used to it, in fact, they knew he was happy to see his dads be so happy together, it did for a happier family as a whole.

Still, Ed found it in himself to reprimand him, even if jokingly, telling him to shut his mouth about it in the sweetest way he could.

While still holding onto Oswald, he reached for the plate of chocolate cake and slid it towards Martin.

«Why don't you eat some cake?»

Martin understood his father's thinly veiled reproach but he didn't mind, especially since said reproach tasted delicious. He smiled and nodded in agreement.

Oswald was the first to burst out laughing, but soon all three stood in their dining-room, a table entirely covered in cake slices, laughing their heads off.

The atmosphere was light-hearted and neither of them had been this happy in years. Edward couldn't wait to be married. And with Gotham being currently rebuilt, and his fiancé and his son – and his dog – by his side, how could Oswald not be optimist about the future?

They were all sure nothing could happen that could tear them apart.

Not without them fighting to stay together, as a family.

**Author's Note:**

> Okay now that you have already read it (I'm assuming), i can say.
> 
> *opens mouth*
> 
> *screams for two minutes straight*
> 
> *closes mouth*
> 
> you know? Yeah...
> 
> Basically, this isn't at all what I thought I was going to write when I started, and the first draft (which I have obliterated into the Sun, so don't ask) was much angstier for LITERALLY NO REASON. In the end, this turned out much sweeter than I thought, and it is in fact maybe too much sugar and I will not be paying your dentist bills, stop asking me.  
> It also turned out longer than I thought (basically the second half wasn't planned, at all!) but that's life. You start writing, and things happen. Who am I to stop them? Also I had to end it on a happy note, so I forced myself to stop there. Because we all know they end up in jail in the end, and it made me sad to think about. Ha... damn, now I've made you think about it too. Sorry! (But maybe I will fix it in the next installment of this series? Who knows? *wink*)


End file.
